The government yesterday announced closure of all public and private offices from March 26 to April 4 as part of its efforts to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

An Italy returnee with coronavirus-like symptoms died at a Bhairab hospital in Kishoreganj on Sunday night.

Police have almost isolated Uttar Tolerbagh in the capital’s Mirpur with particularly strict restrictions on people leaving the neighbourhood.

Restrictions were imposed on movement in Tolarbagh of Mirpur after a neighbour of a deceased Covid-19 patient passed away yesterday evening, said local MP Aslamul Haque Aslam.

Italy, Iran and the United States reported soaring new death tolls as the coronavirus pandemic marched relentlessly across the globe yesterday, prompting a scramble in hard-hit regions to set up more hospital beds and replenish the dwindling medical supplies needed to keep health workers safe and saving patients’ lives.

Amid growing concern over the spread of the novel coronavirus, shop owners yesterday announced that they will keep all markets and shopping malls across the country shut for a week from Wednesday.

Following concerns over shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and nurses, a concerted effort by five organisations is set to produce four lakh pieces of equipment.

Amid growing concern over the spread of the novel coronavirus, shop owners yesterday announced that they will keep all markets and shopping malls across the country shut for a week from Wednesday.

The authorities keep sticking to their claim there is no community transmission of coronavirus in the country, but experts say too few tests have been conducted to reach that conclusion.

The government has suspended air communications with 10 countries from yesterday noon until March 31 as precautionary measure to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country.

The government needs to gather evidence-based data on the current Covid-19 situation immediately to understand the trend of the outbreak in the country, experts told a roundtable yesterday.

While the government still maintains grip on Covid-19 testing, some private hospitals feel they should be allowed to test patients for coronavirus.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged all not to hoard food grain and other essential items out of panic as the country has enough stock of everything.

A second person died from coronavirus in the country and four others were tested positive for the virus, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said yesterday.

Close to one billion people worldwide were confined to their homes yesterday as the global coronavirus death toll shot past 12,000 and US states rolled out lockdown measures already imposed across swathes of Europe.

The Forest Department is in fear of permanently losing around 16,000 acres of Sal forest in Mymensingh’s Bhaluka upazila as the land ministry recorded it as khas and private land.

The government must scale up its efforts to trace and quarantine all the people who might have come in contact with the coronavirus patients to contain the spread of the virus, say experts.

More than 10,000 people have now died in coronavirus pandemic that has swept from China throughout the world, forcing the confinement of tens of millions in their homes.

The administration yesterday deployed around 250 policemen to ensure that no one enters or leaves four neighbourhoods in Madaripur’s Shibchar upazila.

The carelessness of the returnees from abroad over following self-quarantine rules is putting their family members and relatives at risk of contracting coronavirus, statistics show.